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Diabetes risk increases with each hour spent watching TV
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Each hour spent watching television daily increases the risk of developing diabetes by 3.4%, according to research in Diabetologia.
Participants in a study of diabetes prevention interventions who made lifestyle changes, such as increasing physical activity levels, reported a greater decline in sedentary time, and watching TV in particular, than participants who received medication or placebo, according to researchers.
“These findings are particularly noteworthy because a decrease in sitting occurred despite the absence of program goals aimed at reducing sitting,” Andrea Kriska, PhD, professor of epidemiology at University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health, said in a press release. “It is likely that a lifestyle intervention program that incorporates a specific goal of decreasing sitting time would result in greater changes in sitting and likely more health improvements than are demonstrated here.”
Kriska, Bonny Rockette-Wagner, PhD, director of physical activity assessment at University of Pittsburgh, and colleagues at other institutions reviewed data from 3,234 U.S. adults aged at least 25 years with overweight who participated in the Diabetes Prevention Program, a study aimed at preventing type 2 diabetes in high-risk individuals with either a metformin drug or lifestyle intervention. Participants completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire and reported time spent watching television specifically (or combined with sitting at work). The relationship between sedentary time and diabetes incidence was determined using Cox proportional hazards models.
Bonny Rockette-Wagner
Overall, the risk of developing diabetes increased approximately 3.4% (HR = 1.034; 95% CI, 1.004-1.065) for each hour spent watching TV after adjustment for age, sex, treatment arm and leisure physical activity (P < .01). This association was reduced when a time-dependent weight was added to the model (to a 2.1% increased risk), suggesting that subsequent changes in body weight may account for some of the relationship between sitting behavior changes and diabetes, according to researchers.
The association between the combination of TV watching and sitting at work and the risk of diabetes development was weaker, but similar to that of TV watching alone, according to researchers.
During the Diabetes Prevention Program follow-up (mean, 3.2 years), the lifestyle-change participants showed a greater decrease in reported mean television watching time (mean, 22 min/day) than in the metformin or placebo groups (P < .001).
“Our finding of a relationship between sedentary behavior and diabetes incidence means that reductions in sitting can translate into a positive health effect separate from improvements to moderate-vigorous activity (like brisk walking),” Rockette-Wagner told Endocrine Today. “We feel optimistic that with better awareness of sitting behaviors and goal setting to reduce sitting, it may be possible to have an even greater impact than was reported in this cohort.” – by Regina Schaffer
Disclosure: One of the researchers reports a financial interest in Omada Health, a company that develops online behavior-change programs with a focus on diabetes. All other researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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